The Launch of Chicago Localwiki

Christopher Whitaker 2 Comments

Today we’re stoked to announce the launch of Chicago’s LocalWiki, an online hyperlocal encyclopedia that anyone can edit. There are already several cities with LocalWiki including Oakland, Ann Arbor,  and Santa Cruz.

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In order to launch LocalWiki in Chicago, we partnered with the Chicago Public Library and local writer Mairead Case. As you explore the wiki, you’ll definitely notice a literary bent.

Right now, the Chicago LocalWiki is seeded with information about local writers, places, and books that have a Chicago connection. However, this is only the beginning for LocalWiki. Because LocalWikis can be edited by anyone, there’s a huge opportunity for people to write about the rich history of their own neighborhoods. Signing up is easy and you’ll be helping people learn more about our great city.  LocalWiki also has an API. We’ll also be hosting write-a-thons at Chicago Public Library locations to help fill out the LocalWiki.

This project is part of our CivicWorks Project – program funded by the Knight Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust to spur support civic innovation in Chicago. The program will produce 200 content pieces, 5 apps that solve government problems, and 5 apps that solve community problems.

 

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2 Responses

  1. Steven Vance November 5, 2014 / 7:01 pm

    Does LocalWiki have an API? It would be cool to pull in articles about buildings and places and display them on Chicago Cityscape.

    For example, say you get an Address Snapshot for 1060 W Addison Street. You’ll know that address as Wrigley Field, where the Cubs baseball team plays.
    http://www.chicagocityscape.com/address.php?address=1060+W+Addison+St

    Via the API, Chicago Cityscape would find articles that are geotagged nearby and show them on the Snapshot.

    • Christopher Whitaker November 7, 2014 / 9:10 am

      Yes, LocalWiki’s API documentation is here: https://localwiki.org/main/API_Documentation

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